Pocket-forming member with window therein

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to an adhesive-backed label-like member with a centrally located window therein capable of cooperating with a supporting medium to define a pocket upon removal of a protective covering from selected areas.

United States Patent [191 Styers et a1.

[451 Nov. 25, 1975 1 1 POCKET-FORMING MEMBER WITH WINDOW THEREIN [76]Inventors: James D. Styers", 5132 W. Geddes Circle, Littleton, Colo.80123; Paul 1-1. Styers, 3984 S. Pinehurst Circle, Denver, Colo. 80235[22] Filed: Sept. 11, 1972 [21] Appl. No.2 287,991

[52] US. Cl 40/10 R; 229/71; 40/159 [51] Int. Cl. G09F 3/18 [58] Fieldof Search 40/158, 159, 10; 229/68,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1916 Lambert 229/74 2/1918Phillips 229/72 2,148,686 2/1939 Durand 229/72 2,843,310 7/1958 Hopkins229/72 2,893,144 7/1959 Cunningham..... 40/23 A 3,370,365 2/1968Vosbikian 40/158 X 3,525,470 8/1970 Carrigan 229/74 3,592,381 7/1971Brody 229/74 3,658,239 4/1972 Foutz t. 229/71 Primary Examiner-R0bert W.Michell Assistant Examiner-Wenceslao .I. Contreras Attorney, Agent, orFirmEdwin L. Spangler, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to an adhesive-backed label-likemember with a centrally located window therein capable of cooperatingwith a supporting medium to define a pocket upon removal of a protectivecovering from selected areas.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 I 3,921,319

POCKET-FORMING MEMBER WITH WINDOW THEREIN Not infrequently occasionsarise in which two mailing pieces go to the same addressee, one of whichwill qualify for bulk rate postage while the other must be sent firstclass. If the bulk rate item is insignificant insofar as increasing thepostage required on the first class item or, perhaps, the cost ofpacking the bulk rate item separately is morethan the increase inpostage if it were sent first class, the usual practice is to send bothfirst class. Unfortunately, there are situations in which it becomesprohibitively expensive to send the bulk rate item first class.Noteworthy among the latter are metal license plates which qualify forbulk rate postage; whereas, the registration certificates, ownership feecards and the like that accompany the plates must go first class.

The usual solution to the above problem is to use two completeenvelopes, one of them containing the bulk rate item while the otherhouses the first class item and includes a window through which themailing address can be seen. The first class envelope has the reverseside or back thereof provided with some means for attaching itpermanently to the face of the bulk rate envelope, usually adhesively.Such a set-up, while widely used, is both expensive and time consumingto use.

It has now been found in accordance with the teaching of the instantinvention that these and other undesirable features of the prior artmailing envelopes for handling bulk rate and first class items in asingle unitary assembly can, in large measure, be eliminated through theuse of a simple adhesive-backed lahel-like member with a window thereinthat can be attached to the face of an ordinary envelope, even apolyethylene one, so as to cooperate therewith to define a scalablepocket upon removal of a protective covering from selected border areas.Such members are readily adaptable to being made up in long strips, theindividual label-forming elements of which are separated one at a timefrom a continuous backing strip immediately prior to their beingattached to the main bulk rate envelope orother support. The glassinematerial, in addition to forming the window in the customary manner,provides a protective cover for the non-drying adhesive until it isready to be attached to the face of support. The glassine coveringincludes both a permanentaly attached window-forming portion and aremovable border forming marginal portion separated from the latter by adiecut seam. The border forming portion comprises an unbrokenladder-like continuous strip holding several of the pocket-formingportions of the label along with a second part that provides aprotective cover for the tab at the top of each one. Removal of theladder-like portion exposes selected areas of adhesive which, upon beingfastened down upon a suitable supporting surface such as the face of thebulk rate envelope, cooperates therewith to define an upwardly openingpocket. Removal of the protective covering from the tab or flap, on theother hand, enables the open edge along the top to be sealed;

The label-like element is particularly useful in that it will stick to apolyethylene bag which is much less expensive than the heavy manilaenvelope now used for packing and shipping license plates. Bags of thistype can be heat-sealed shut to produce an inexpensive substitute forthe usual bulk rate envelope.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention toprovide a novel and improved label-like element adapted to cooperatewith a suitable support therefor to define a pocket.

A second objective of the invention forming the subject matter hereof isthe provision of a label with a window therein that is ideally suitedfor use as a first class piggyback envelope when attached to a bulk-rateenvelope of conventional design;

Another object of the within-described invention is to provide a labelforming member susceptible of being attached to even polyethylene bagsas a means for producing an exterior pocket thereon.

Still another objective of the invention disclosed and claimed herein isto provide a window label with a protective cover over its adhesivebacking, such cover having three distinct and separate parts, two ofwhich are removable while the third remains in place to define thewindow.

An additional object is the provision of a device of the typeaforementioned that can be fabricated in rolls, the individual elementsof which are separated from one another one at a time immediately priorto use.

Further objects are to provide a double envelope combination which isinexpensive and easy to use. one that is adaptable to automatedmanufacture and assembly, and a unit of the type aforementioned that isparticularly well-suited for use in shipping license plates at bulkrates together with the registration certificates at first class rates.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed outspecifically hereinafter in connection with the description of thedrawings that follows, and in which:

FIG. I is a top plan view showing a portion of a strip of the label-likeelements;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of a single unit showing corners of theremovable portions of the protective glassine covering curled back toexpose the non-drying adhesive therebeneath;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view to a reduced'scale showing the label-likemember attached in pocket forming rela tion onto the face of a bulk rateenvelope. portions of the latter having been broken away to reveal alicense plate inside thereof;

FIG. 4 is an edge view of the assembly of FIG. 3 but to the same scaleas FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the upwardly opening pocket and the addresscard being inserted therein;

FIG. 5 is an edge view similar to FIG. 4 and to the same scale showingthe assembly just prior to the fastening down of the tab; and,

FIG. 6 is a further enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 66 ofFIG. 3 showing the several layers of the finished assembly includingeven the address card.

Referring next to the drawings for a detailed description of the presentinvention and, initially, to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 for this purpose.reference numeral 10 has been chosen to represent in a general way thelabel-like element in its entirety while numeral 12 designates thesupporting medium with which it combines to define the pocket 14. Asshown in FIG. 1, the individual labellike elements 10 are convenientlyand preferably joined together in end-to-end relation so as to produce astrip 16. The die-cut seam l8 penetrates only the top layer of opaquebase material 20; whereas, as will be explained presently, the backingmaterial that forms the protective cover over the adhesive 22 iscontinuous along the outside edges to form the connecting linktherebetween. v

The base material is ordinary opaque paper stock upon the backside ofwhich is coated a non-drying adhesive 22 of the type commonly used onname tags and the like. Such an adhesive is especially useful in thisapplication because it is one of the few that will stick to polyethyleneand. as will appear presently, using a polyethylene bag as thesupporting medium 12 has certain very definite economic advantages.

A couple of structural features are worthy of specific mention inconnection with the base material befor we proceed further and these arethe centrally'located window opening 24 and tab 26 along the uppermarginal edge. Window opening 24 is conventional being of atransversely-elongate generally rectangular shape adapted to display thename and address of an addressee provided on a card or the like 28placed therebencath and in registry therewith.

Tab 26, in the particular form shown is semicircular and located midwaybetween the side margins, however, such a shape is a matter of choiceand it can. just as easily. be made to extend all the way across the topedge or at least the full width of pocket 14. Such alternatives are.ofcourse, well within the skill of the art and the choice therebetweenwill usually be made with ref erence to the particular end use for whichthe label-like member is intendedv Directing the attention next to FIG.2 which shows the back of the label-like member. it will be seen thatthe adhesive coating 22 is completely overlaid with a protective cover30 that takes the form of a conventional transparent so-called glassinematerial of the type commonly used in window envelopes and as theremovable protective covering over the non-drying adhesive on the backof name tags. The most important thing to note concerning the protectivecovering 30 is the fact that it is die-cut into three distinct parts,the first 30W being the more or less permanent windowforming portioncovering window opening 24 in the base material. Portion 30W projectsbelow the bottom edge of the window opening, beyond both side margins ofthe latter and all the way up to the bottom margin of tab 26 from whichit is separated by die-cut seam or joint 32.

The marginal border portion 30B takes the form of a ladder-like chainlinking the several label elements together in end-to-end relation. Asthis ladder is stripped free of the remainder of the label. the marginaladhesive-coated areas along both sides and across the bot tom areuncovered ready for sticking to the supporting surface 12. At the sametime, removal of the ladder results in a separation of the individuallabel elements that were held together in endto-end relation thereby. Inother words. once the border covering portion 30B of the protectivecover is removed. the transverse diecut seams I8 separating eachlabel-like element 10 per; mit them to separate from one another.Actually, there is no need to tear the ladder-like chain up intoindividual U-shaped border-covering units as it can be left in chainform with the remainder of the label being stripped therefromimmediately prior to its being fastened to the supporting surface. Ofcourse. each labellike element can, if desired, be made up as anindividual unit rather than in strip form in which event the bordercovering portion 308 will be generally U- shaped and capable of beingstripped from the adhesive prior to its being fastened to some surface12 (FIG. 3) such as. for example. the polyethylene bag 34 in which metallicense tags 36 are packaged. A glance at FIG. 2 will reveal that withthe protective covering 308 removed and the label-like member stuck downon a suitable supporting surface. these elements thus adhesivelyattached together will cooperate with one another to define the pocket14 in which the address card 28 is placed. By leaving the adhesiveoverlayed by an uninterrupted layer of protective covering extendingfrom below the window opening all the way to the top ofthe label member.insertion and removal of material from the pocket is easilyaccomplished.

The final step in the procedure is to close the flap or tab 26 on theopen top margin of pocket .14. To do so. the next of the three portionsof the protective covering. namely tab cover 30T is removed to exposethe adhesive 22 therebeneath; whereupon, it can be stuck down onto thesupporting surface 12. As previously mentioned, the tab can be madewider to form a flap and thus seal the pocket all the way across.

. FIGS. 4 and 5, to which reference will now be made, reveal the pocket14 and the several elements that cooperate to define same. In FIG. 4,the pocket is shown in open position with the address card being placedtherein. At this point, the tab cover 30T is still in place as shown. InFIG. 5, on the other hand, the card is in place in the bottom ofthepocket, the tab cover 30T has been removed and the tab 26 has beenstuck down on the supporting material.

Finally, with reference to FIG. 6, a further enlarged fragmentarysectional detail shows the various layers of paper 20, adhesive 22,glassine 30, address card 28 and polyethylene supporting material 12.Window opening 24 as well as the semicircular notch 38 along the edge ofthe label-like element are also shown.

What is claimed is:

l. The label-like member which comprises: an opaque sheet having acentrally located opening therein; a coating of non-drying adhesiveon-the back of the opaque sheet; and a transparent sheet of glassinematerial cut into three separate sections each of which is attached forindependent removal to the adhesive coating as a protective covertherefor, said cover hav ing a first window forming section covering thecentrally located opening in the opaque sheet so as to leave a borderarea with the adhesive exposed across the bottom and along sides of saidsheet as well as an uncovered flap area across the top, a second bordercovering section detachably affixed to said exposed border area. and athird flap covering section detachably affixed to said uncovered flaparea, said first and third sections cooperating with one another andwith the adhesive on the border area upon removal of the second sectiontherefrom to define an upwardly opening pocket when glued to asupporting surface, and said flap area providing means for closing theentrance to said pocket upon removalof the third section therefrom.

2. The label-like member as set forth in claim I in which: the flap areacomprises a tab integrally formed along the top margin projectingthereabove intermediate the side margins; and. in which the firstsection extends upwardly all the way to the lower margin of the thirdsection that covers said tab. I

3. The label-like member as set forth in claim 2 in which: gapsare leftalong the top margin separating the second and third sections; and. inwhich the first section extends all the way to the top margin so as toleave no exposed adhesive within said gaps.

1. The label-like member which comprises: an opaque sheet having acentrally located opening therein; a coating of non-drying adhesive onthe back of the opaque sheet; and a transparent sheet of glassinematerial cut into three separate sections each of which is attached forindependent removal to the adhesive coating as a protective covertherefor, said cover having a first window forming section covering thecentrally located opening in the opaque sheet so as to leave a borderarea with the adhesive exposed across the bottom and along sides of saidsheet as well as an uncovered flap area across the top, a second bordercovering section detachably affixed to said exposed border area, and athird flap covering section detachably affixed to said uncovered flaparea, said first and third sections cooperating with one another andwith the adhesive on the border area upon removal of the second sectiontherefrom to define an upwardly opening pocket when glued to asupporting surface, and said flap area providing means for closing theentrance to said pocket upon removal of the third section therefrom. 2.The label-like member as set forth in claim 1 in which: the flap areacomprises a tab integrally formed along the top margin projectingthereabove intermediate the side margins; and, in which the firstsection extends upwardly all the way to the lower margin of the thirdsection that covers said tab.
 3. The label-like member as set forth inclaim 2 in which: gaps are left along the top margin separating thesecond and third sections; and, in which the first section extends allthe way to the top margin so as to leave no exposed adhesive within saidgaps.